Fervent Desires

Chapter 9 - Camping Day 1

I awoke from a deep sleep, completely aware of Erica’s naked body next to mine. I could hear birds singing outside our window. Erica’s breathing was slow and steady next to me, poor thing must be exhausted. I could smell her scent, bringing memories of the previous night flooding back, memories so vivid and erotic that they caused a surge through my loins. I laid next to her completely still, not wanting to wake her. I could lay like this forever. I laid there listening to her steady breathing, waiting patiently for her to wake. Of course this took almost an hour and by the time we got downstairs everyone was already seated at the breakfast table.

“Good morning sleepy heads,” Kyle teased.

“You two sure look like you had a good night,” chimed in Lydia

Erica and I exchanged knowing looks. “What’s on the agenda for today?” I tried desperately to change the subject.

“Well first I was thinking we could go rafting, then we could hike the trail,” Cynthia ran through our list of activities.

The conversation was light all through breakfast and I couldn’t help but notice how well Erica was fitting in with my friends. By the time breakfast was over they had all but accepted her as part of the group. 

“They like you,” I whispered as we headed for our raft. 

“Really? What makes you say that?” she asked surprised. I smiled knowingly as we both got into the raft.

“This is gonna be my first time,” she announced nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here,” I reassured her before pushing off from the bank.

We navigated the river through large gorges surrounded by dense forests. We could hear various birds as we rowed along admiring the diverse wildlife. Erica giggled with excitement as we paddled along the Flathead River. She looked gorgeous against the backdrop of the mountains and every time she giggled I felt a flutter in my stomach. “You having a good time?” It was more of a comment than a question.

She nodded, “This is so exciting. Do you guys do stuff like this all the time?” 

I smiled. “Lydia loves planning these little trips and somehow we all just get dragged along,” I looked over at Lydia who was chatting away to Cynthia in their own raft.

“I can tell you guys are great friends,” She commented.

“We are, there are no expectations; they never judge me for anything,” I looked to my left, Kendall was rowing away while Kyle was busy snapping pictures. “They really are good friends”.

“So how come you haven’t brought any of your girlfriends to meet them?”

I raised an eyebrow at Erica, “well I just haven’t been with anyone special in a while.” Now it was Erica’s turn to raise an eyebrow at me and I knew exactly what she was thinking. “Yes," I responded.

“I didn’t ask anything,” she said with a smirk on her face.

“You were thinking it. So the answer is yes, you are special,” I said staring into her eyes.

“Rough water up ahead!” yelled Lydia.

I turned and sure enough the water was no longer calm. Erica’s face immediately changed from excitement to worry and I had the sudden instinct to hug her and make her feel safe. “Don’t worry I've done this before,” I reassured. Lydia and Cynthia were already navigating the rapids as they were the first to encounter it. We followed rowing vigorously against the strong current.  Kyle and Kendall were next, Kyle had abandoned his camera in favor of his oars and both men looked like they were having the time of their lives. They all lived for this type of adventure. “See nothing to worry about!” I yelled over the rush of the river as I motioned toward the occupants of the other two rafts.  Erica seemed to relax a little but still held onto her oars like they were the only thing keeping her inside the raft. We navigated the rapids and finally came to a clearing close to a waterfall. It was late evening and we all decided it would be best to postpone the hike until the following day.

“This will be a great spot to make camp,” commented Cynthia as we unpacked our gear.

“The waterfall is beautiful,” stated Erica as she looked up at the shimmering water.

“Sure is,” agreed Kyle, reaching for his camera and immediately snapping some photos.

“We should take a look,” chimed in Kendall; who clearly did not want to be left unpacking his raft all by himself.

We couldn’t help but gasp in amazement at the beauty of the waterfall before us. It surged over the rocks, spraying mist all around us. The trees shimmered as their leaves caught the setting sun perfectly. The flowers growing nearby attracted the most colorful birds, no doubt due to their beauty. I picked one and handed it to Erica, who blushed sweetly as she took it.

“You two look soooo cute,” commented Kyle, snapping a picture of us.

“Kyle,” gritted an annoyed Kendall.

“Let’s go for a swim,” said Cynthia, clearly trying to lighten the mood

I immediately started shivering when I plunged into the turquoise water. I looked over at Erica who was hugging herself, her teeth practically gnashing. I headed for some rocks at the base of the waterfall and motioned for her to follow. As we neared the rocks we noticed what appeared to be a cave under the arch of waterfall.

I’ve always wanted to make out under a waterfall,” she joked as we stood at the entrance of the cave.

“Really, what’s stopping you?” I smiled, waiting for her to make her move.

Erica smiled as she planted her lips firmly onto mine. I deepened the kissed and placed my hand at the small of her back to hold her in place. She wrapped her arms around my neck, clearly getting lost in the passion between us. I could feel my arousal, the need that I had from the night before resurfaced and I wanted her even closer. I grabbed her firmly by the buttocks and lifted her, her body warm against mine. Erica wrapped her legs around me as she held my neck even tighter. We suddenly heard someone clear their throat and we both looked over to see everyone standing there. Erica's cheeks quickly turned a bright red and I  slowly and reluctantly let her slide down my body.

“Well, well, well what have we found here?” asked Kyle in an amused tone.

“It’s a cave,” I answered, pretending not to know what he meant.

“Well let’s take a look,” stated Lydia, clearly wanted to diffuse the awkwardness.

We stepped into the dark cave the air was musty and rank. I looked around as my eyes began to adjust to the darkness. I instinctively reached for Erica and was relieved when she took my hand. As we advanced further into the cave it became obvious that we were not the first to explore it, there were various bottles and cans scattered on the floor.

“I think that’s enough for today,” declared Kyle as he snapped the last of his pictures.

“I agree, lets head back,” stated Lydia.

It was almost midnight and we all sat by the camp fire drinking coffee. We had spent the better part of the afternoon playing various games and needless to say I was exhausted. Erica was snuggled up against me, her head resting on my shoulder and despite being tired and sore from sitting in the same position for the past hour I was not about to move.  “Can we go to bed now?” she whispered into my ear when Kendall proposed another game.

“It’s late,” I announced “I think we'd better get to bed. Don’t we have an early morning Cynthia?” I knew she would back me up. She was a stickler for schedules and sure enough she did not disappoint.

“Yes we do,” she announced “I think its fine time we all turned in.”

The others groaned like five-year olds while Erica and I jumped up without another word. I ignored the looks they gave me as I yawned and headed for my tent. Once there Erica and I hopped into our shared sleeping bag. Our bodies came together warmly as I embraced her in the confines of the bag. We laid in the darkness quietly listening to each other’s breathing until finally we fell asleep in each other’s arms.